Roll towel fixture



Filed July 8, 1952 FIG INVENTORS 7 ATTORNEY WI ENESS 8 Patented Apr. 17, 1934 UNITEDSTATES} ROLL TOWEL FIXTURE Samuel N. Hope,

Wauwatosa, and Nicholas Tuszynski, Milwaukee,

Wis., assignors to Griflith-Ilope Company, West Allis, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application July 8, 1932, Serial No. 621,361 6' Claims. 01. 242-552) The invention relates to fixtures for holding rolls of paper towels and the like in dispensing position, and has for an object the provision of a fixture in which the roll is rotatably mounted on a pair of supporting members at least one of which is yieldably mounted and urged against the roll to frictionally retard the rotation of the roll, the construction of the fixture being such as to permit economical manufacture and to accommodaterolls of varying width.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fixture in which the roll-supporting members have a simple but eifective spring-urgedpivotal mounting permitting easy application and replacement of the rolls and permitting compact folding of the fixture for shipment andstorage.

The invention furtherconsists in. the several features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by the annexed claims.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a top view of a roll towel fixture embodying the invention, parts being broken away and parts being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of .the fixture taken generally along the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary rear view of the fixture, and

Fig.1 is a top view of the fixture as it appears when folded for packing.

In the drawing, indicates a rectangular base member having marginal flanges 11 which are adapted to engage a support 12, usually a vertical wall. The base member 10, preferably a sheet metal stamping, is secured to the support 12 by screws 13 which pass'through openings 14 formed in dished portions 15 of the base member.

The base member 10 has formed therein near each end a pair of parallel guide slots 16 slidably receiving therethrough the spaced legs of a u-shaped sheet metal strap or stirrup '17, the free ends of the legs projecting forwardly from the base member. A pair of sheet metal rollsupporting arms or brackets 18 have end portions interposed between the spaced legs of the respective straps 1'1, and each has side flanges 19 which engage embossments 20 formed on the strap legs and which are pivotally connected thereto by rivets 21. Near the rivets 21, the flanges 19 are provided with heels or extensions 22 which have their edges fulcrumed on ribs 23 embossed from the base member 10 between the slots 16 and the adjacent end edges of the base member.

Each strap 1''! is urged inwardly by an arched leaf spring 24 which has intermediate portions bearing on the inner face of the base member and reduced end portions or tongues 25 which slidably fit in openings 26 formed in'the strap, thus retaining the spring in place. By this means the arms or, brackets 18 are spring-urged toward each other about their pivotal bearing on the ribs 23. The straps form link means connecting the brackets and springs.

At their free end portions the arms or brackets 18 are provided with roundedv embossments 2'? which are adapted .to enter the opposite hollow ends of a roll 28 of sheet material to be dispensed, such as paper toweling or the like, the roll being rotatably mounted on these embossments. In the 7 present instance, the roll is shown to be provided 0 with a tubular core 29 of paper or other suitable material. .An annular shoulder 30 surrounding each embossment 2''! is engageable with the end of the roll and is here shown to engagethe end 15 of the core. The shoulder 30 is urged against the end of the roll by the action of the spring 24 to frictionally retard the rotation of the roll. A rib 31 is formed along the inner side of each arm or bracket 18 radially of the embossment 27. If desired the rib may in some instances frictionally engage the end of the roll.

To install a roll on the fixture, it is only necessary to move v apart the arms or brackets 18 against the action of their springs, as indicated a by dotted lines in Fig. 1, admit the roll between the arms, and then permit the embossments 2'1 of the spring-urged arms 18 to enter the opposite ends of the core. To remove an exhausted core is also a simple operation.

As indicated in Fig. 4, each arm or bracket 18 can be swung inwardly to a position close to the base member 10, thereby permitting compact packaging of the fixture in a carton 32 to facilitate shipment and storage.

When the fixture is in use, towels are tom of! the roll as needed, the roll being prevented from turning too freely by the frictional engagement of the arms or brackets 18 with the roll. The resilient mounting of the arms 18 permits rolls to be properly accommodated on the fixture notwithstanding variations in roll width met with in manufacture. 1

The fixture is constructed of relatively few parts which are all sheet metal stampings with 5 the exception of the rivets, thereby permitting economical manufacture. The spring means for the arms or brackets are concealed within the shallow base member and are easily applied during assembly.

What we claim as new and Letters Patent is:

l. A fixture for roll towels and the like, comprising a base having an apertured wall, spaced roll-supporting brackets on said base for receiving a roll therebetween, at least one of said brackets swingably engaging said base, link means pivotally secured to said last named bracket and extending through said apertured base wall, and spring means operatively connected with said link means at the side of said base wall remote from said last named bracket for swinging said bracket into operative engagement with said roll.

2. A fixture for roll towels and the like, comprising a base having a wall provided with a pair of openings, spaced roll-supporting brackets on said base adapted to receive a roll therebetween,

desire to secure by at least one of said brackets swingably engaging said base, a U-shaped member having legs projecting forwardly through said base openings and pivotally secured to said last named bracket, and spring means urging said U-shaped member inwardly for swinging said last named bracket into operative engagement with said roll.

3. A fixture for roll towels and the like, comprising a base having a wall provided with a pair of openings, spaced roll-supporting brackets on said base adapted to receive a roll therebetween, at least one of said brackets swingably engaging said base, a U-shaped member having legs projecting forwardly through said base openings and pivotally secured to said last named bracket, and an arched leaf spring interposed between the inner face of said base wall and the intermediate portion of said U-shaped member for urging said U-shaped member inwardly to swing said last named bracket into operative engagement with said roll.

4. A fixture for roll towels and the like, comprising a base having a wall provided with a pair of openings, spaced roll-supporting brackets on said base adapted to receive a roll therebetween, at least one of said brackets swingably engaging said base, a U-shaped member having legs projecting forwardly through said base openings and pivotally secured to said last named bracket, and an arched leaf spring interposed between the inner face of said base wall and the intermediate portion of said U-shaped member, there being openings in said U-shaped member and tongues on said spring entering said openings, said spring urging said U-shaped member inwardly to swing the attached bracket into operative engagement with said roll.

5. A fixture for roll towels and the like, comprising a base having a wall, spaced roll-supporting brackets on said base for receiving a roll therebetween, said brackets projecting forwardly of said wall and at least one of said brackets swingably engaging said base, link means pivoted on said last-named bracket, and spring means at the rear of said wall operatively connected with said link means for urging said swingable bracket into engagement with the roll.

6. A fixture for roll towels and the like, comprising a base having a wall, spaced roll-supporting brackets on said base for receiving a roll therebetween, said brackets projecting forwardly of said wall and at least one of said brackets swingably engaging said base, said swingable bracket having opposite side flanges, connectors on said side flanges extending rearwardly of said wall, and spring means at the rear of said wall engaging said connectors for urging said swingable bracket into engagement with the roll. 

